Foldable Joint for Baby Stroller

ABSTRACT

This invention is to provide a baby stroller foldable joint, comprising: a joint mechanism, having a top frame joint, a bottom frame joint and a rear wheel frame joint connecting to the top frame, the bottom frame and the rear wheel frame respectively, where the frame joints each is provided with a breach at its rim, and the breaches are aligned with one another, and having a gear set in its interior; and a control mechanism, having a slider flexible to move back and forth, driving the other flexible block through a linkage, for the purpose of clasping or separating the breaches of the frame joints, to accomplish the expansion or folding of the frame; by means of the aforesaid combination, the expansion or folding of the frames can be simultaneous and accomplished at one go, where the expansion can even be locked automatically, to make the manipulation handy and swift.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a baby stroller foldable joint and more specifically to one that features handiness and swiftness for the manipulation of the expansion or folding of the frame and a structure featuring a second safe lock.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Prior art frames of baby strollers are mostly the design out of links that feature an excess of parts, complicacy in structure, and plenty of joining, easily leading to a loose structure and surely prone to sway, which substantially deteriorates the manipulation of the expansion or folding of the frame, and it apparently demands a great improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of this invention is to provide a baby stroller foldable joints that features handiness and swiftness for the manipulation of the expansion or folding, which is targeted at the improvement of drawbacks of the prior art.

The other objective of this invention is to provide a baby stroller foldable joints that is provided with a second safe lock for avoiding careless manipulations.

To accomplish the aforementioned objectives, this invention comprises: a joint mechanism, having a top frame joint, a bottom frame joint and a rear wheel frame joint connecting to the top frame, the bottom frame and the rear wheel frame respectively, where the frame joints each is provided with a breach at its rim, where the breaches are aligned with one another, and having a gear set in its interior; and a control mechanism, having a slider flexible to move back and forth, and the slider drives the other flexible block through a linkage, for the purpose of clasping or separating the breaches of the frame joints, to accomplish the expansion or folding of the frames; by means of aforesaid combination, the expansion or folding of the frames can be simultaneous and accomplished at one go, where the expansion state can be locked automatically, to achieve handiness and swiftness for the manipulation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of this invention mounted on a baby stroller;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of the back side of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional exploded view (I) of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional exploded view (II) of this invention;

FIG. 5 is an assembled sectional view of the axial direction of this invention;

FIG. 6 is an assembled sectional view of the radial direction of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the expansion of the frames of this invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view (I) of the joint mechanism during the expansion of this invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view (II) of the joint mechanism during the expansion of this invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view (I) of the axial direction of the control mechanism during the folding of this invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view (II) of the axial direction of the control mechanism during the folding of this invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view of the radial direction of the control mechanism during the folding of this invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view (I) of the joint mechanism during the folding of this invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic sectional view (II) of the joint mechanism during the folding of this invention;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the folding of this invention; and

FIG. 16 is a schematic sectional view of the control mechanism during the expansion of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The structural traits and function of this invention are detailed described with reference to the following preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, which would give the honorable Examiner a thorough comprehension and recognition on this invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1˜6, this invention comprises: a joint mechanism 100 and a control mechanism 200, where these mechanisms are located at the opposite sides of the stroller frame. To be easy for the understanding, the following description is based on the rule that only picks one out of the like mechanisms.

The joint mechanism 100 comprises: a bottom frame 1, joining two front wheels 11 at its bottom, and joining fixedly a bottom frame joint 10 at its top, where the joint 10 is provided with a breach 12 at the bottom of its outer rim, and a curved trough 13 at the top of its inner side, and the trough 13 is provided with a first tooth row 14 at its top; a top frame 2, joining a handle tube 21 at its top, and joining fixedly a top frame joint 20 at its bottom, where the joint 20 is provided with a breach 22 at the bottom of its outer rim and a curved trough 23 at the top of its inner side, and the trough 23 is provided with a second tooth row 24 at its bottom; a rear wheel frame 3, joining two rear wheels 31 at its bottom, and joining fixedly a rear wheel frame joint 30 at its top, where the joint 30 is provided with a breach 32 at the bottom of its outer rim; and a linking pinion 4, set up at one side near the center of the rear wheel frame joint 30, and located in between the curved trough 23 of the top frame joint 20 and the curved trough 13 of the bottom frame joint 10, which are geared to the first tooth row 14 and the second tooth row 24 respectively; the top frame joint 20, the bottom frame joint 10 and the rear wheel frame joint 30 are fastened together by a fixing screw 33, and the bottom frame joint 10 is located in between the top frame joint 20 and the rear wheel frame joint 30, where their breaches 12, 22, and 32 are aligned one another on a straight line, and the first tooth row 14, the second tooth row 24 and the linking pinion 4 form a gear set.

The control mechanism 200 comprises: a fixed stand 50, set up at the back side and bottom of the rear wheel frame joint 30, having a cavity at each of its front side and back side, and the front cavity is provided with an opening 501 near its top; a slider 51, set up in the back cavity of the fixed stand 50, and having a springy member 52 in its interior, which empowers the slider a downward force, to form a flexible springy slider; a lug 53, in the shape of an arc with a concave at its interior, set up at the back side of the fixed stand 50 and joined with the top end of the slider 51; a drag pole 54, having a long trough 541 on its top, in pinned connection to the bottom of the slider 51 with a fixing pin 542; a block 56, set up in the front cavity of the fixed stand 50, and having a springy member 57 in its interior that empowers the block 56 an upward force, to form a springy block flexible to move back and forth, where the block 56 is provided with a snap rod 58 at its top, which can clasp or separate the breaches 12, 22 and 32 of the bottom frame joint 10, the top frame joint 20 and the rear wheel frame joint 30 respectively, and the block 56 is provided with a indent 561 at the middle of its front side and a block pin 59 near its back side; and a lever 55, with one end pinned connection to the bottom of the drag pole 54, the middle portion is pinned fixedly by a pin link 551, and the other end is pushed against the top end of the block pin 59.

Moreover, this invention is provided with a buckle 6 in pinned connection to the front side of the aforesaid fixed stand 50. And the buckle 6 is provided with a pull plate 61 and a plug 62, where the plug 62 can pass through the opening 501 of the fixed stand 50 to arrive at the indent 561 of the block 56, to stabilize the block 56, and to form a second safe lock.

According to the aforesaid structural combination, once the frame of stroller is being expanded, the included angle between the bottom frame 1 and the rear wheel frame 3 is about 102 degrees, while the included angle between the top frame 2 and the rear wheel frame 3 is about 78 degrees, shown in FIG. 7. At this moment, the snap rod 58 at the top of the block 56 of the control mechanism 200 penetrates the breaches 12, 22 and 32 of the frame joints of the joint mechanism 100, to form a first clench. The linking pinion 4 is geared to the left side of the first tooth row 14 of the bottom frame joint 10 and to the right side of the second tooth row 24 of the top frame joint 20. And a barrier rod 41 barricades the left side of the trough 13 of the bottom frame joint 10, while the plug 62 of the buckle 6 clips to the indent 561 of the block 56, to form a second safe lock, shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 8 & 9.

For a folding, pull the buckle 6 outward to break the plug 62 away from the indent 561 of the block 56, then pull the lug 53 up to move the slider 51 upward. And through the drag pole 54, the lever 44 and the block pin 59 to press the block 56 to move down, the snap rod 58 is ready to depart from the breaches 12, 22 and 32 of the joints respectively, shown in FIGS. 10 & 12, followed by dragging the lug 53 up to make the top frame 2 and the bottom frame 1 to move down automatically toward the rear wheel frame 3 to be folded by means of their own gravity. And through the driving by the gear set, made up of the linking pinion 4, the first tooth row 14 and the second tooth row 24, the top frame 2 and the bottom frame 1 are simultaneously driven to approach the rear wheel frame 3 for the folding, shown in FIGS. 13˜15, to accomplish the folding of the stroller frame.

Once the stroller frame is being folded, releasing the lug 53 will make the slider 51 immediately to move down automatically to its position through the resilient force of the springy member 52, which further makes the lug 53 to move down simultaneously to its position. Meanwhile, the drag pole 54 is also dragged to move down, so the lever 55 is driven not to press the block 56 down. At the moment the snap rod 58 already escapes from the breaches 12, 22 and 32, and the breaches are not aligned to one another, so that the block 56 is still clasped at the bottom of the joints 10, 20 and 30, shown in FIG. 11. Accordingly, it is thus not only to maintain the completeness of the outlook of the stroller frame but to avoid damage by the collision from the external force.

To be expanded again, simply drag the top frame 2 and the bottom frame 1 up and outward, to separate from the rear wheel frame 3. And through the driving of the gear set, the frames are expanded simultaneously, which enables the breaches 12, 22 and 32 of the frame joints to aim at the snap rod 58, and the block 56 can naturally move up to its position by means of the resilient force of the springy member 57, to drag the snap rod 58 to be clasped by the breaches 12, 22 and 32 of the frame joints, shown in FIG. 16, which enables a simultaneous expansion and a fixing for the top frame 2, the bottom frame 1 and the rear wheel frame 3, shown in FIGS. 5˜9, followed by a push on the buckle 6 to have its plug 62 to be clasped by the block 56, shown in FIG. 5. And that can avoid careless mistakes to lead to the occurrence of the folding of the stroller.

According to the aforesaid structure and operation, the joint mechanism 100 of this invention comprises a top frame joint 20, a bottom frame joint 10 and a rear wheel frame joint 30 connecting to the top frame 2, the bottom frame 1 and the rear wheel frame 3 respectively, where the frame joints each is provided with a breach 12, 22 or 32 at its outer rim, and the breaches 12, 22 and 32 are aligned with one another, and having a gear set in its interior, where the diameter ratio and tooth ratio of the linking pinion 4 with respect to the first tooth row 14 and the second tooth row 24 are available for the necessary setting to synchronize the frame movements during the expansion or the folding, and to maintain a same angle ratio, which enables the three frame joints 10, 20 and 30 to keep at their relevant positions both for the expansion or the folding. Especially for the situation of the expansion, the expanded movement ends with an automatic lock, and further makes the included angle between the rear wheel frame 3 and the bottom frame 1 is 102 degrees, and that between the rear wheel frame 3 and the top frame 2 is 78 degrees, shown in FIG. 7.

The control mechanism 200 comprises a slider 51 flexible to move back and forth and a block 56, where the slider 51 is able to move up due to a pull-up to the lug 53. And through the linkage, made up of the drag pole 54 and the lever 55, the block 56 is dragged to move down, which makes the displacement of the slider 21 opposite to that of the block 56, and both return to their positions by means of the resilient force of the springy members 52, 57 respectively. The block 56 is provided with a snap rod 58 at its top, which is used to clasp or separate the breaches 12, 22 and 32 of the three frame joints of the joint mechanism 100, to achieve the expansion or folding of the stroller.

In conclusion, this invention has at least the following advantages and efficacy that are much more creative than the prior art:

-   1. The expansion or folding of this stroller features synchronous     and coherent motions, and no matter whichever portion a user exerts     a force, the expansion or folding of the stroller can be     accomplished with ease, which makes the manipulation handy and     swift. -   2. The expansion of the frame is capable of being locked     automatically, and a second safe lock is devised to avoid careless     mistakes to trigger the occurrence of the folding. -   3. During the folding of the frame, the lug is able to move back to     its position automatically, which helps to maintain the completeness     of the outlook but to avoid the damage by the collisions from     external forces.

Accordingly, the disclosed structure of the exemplary embodiment of this invention is absolutely novel to the prior art. It surely can accomplish the expected objective and function, which is construed as not only novelty and creativeness but usefulness. And a utility application is then filed according to the patent law. 

1. A baby stroller foldable joint, comprising: a joint mechanism, having a top frame joint, a bottom frame joint and a rear wheel frame joint connecting to the top frame, the bottom frame and the rear wheel frame respectively, where the frame joints each is provided with a breach at its rim, and the breaches are aligned with one another, and having a gear set in its interior; and a control mechanism, having a slider flexible to move back and forth, to drive the other flexible block through a linkage, for the purpose of clasping or separating the breach of each frame joint, to accomplish the expansion or folding of the frame of the stroller; On the strength of the aforesaid combination, the expansion or folding of the frame being simultaneous and accomplished at one go, where the expansion of the frame is capable of being locked automatically, to make the manipulation handy and swift.
 2. A baby stroller foldable joint as in claim 1 wherein the gear set comprises: a first tooth row set up in the bottom frame joint, a second tooth row set up in the top frame joint and a linking pinion set up near the center of the rear wheel frame joint.
 3. A baby stroller foldable joint as in claim 1 wherein said control mechanism is provided with a lug joined with the slider.
 4. A baby stroller foldable joint as in claim 1 wherein the linkage of said control mechanism comprises: a drag pole joined with the slider, and a lever in pivotal connection with the drag pole.
 5. A baby stroller foldable joint as in claim 1 wherein the block of said control mechanism is provided with a snap rod at its top.
 6. A baby stroller foldable joint as in claim 1 wherein said control mechanism further comprises: a fixed stand, set up at the back side and bottom of the rear wheel frame joint; a slider, set up in the interior of the fixed stand and behind its back side, and having a springy member in its interior; a lug, set up at the back side of the fixed stand and joined with the top end of the slider; a drag pole, having a long trough on its top, in pinned connection to the bottom of the slider by a fixing pin; a block, set up in the interior of the fixed stand and behind its front side, and having a springy member in its interior, a snap rod at its top portion, and a block pin at its middle portion; and a lever, having one end in pinned connection to the bottom of the drag pole, the middle portion being fixed by a pin link, and the other end being pushed against the top end of the block pin.
 7. A baby stroller foldable joint as in claim 6 wherein the fixed stand is provided with a safe lock at its outer side, for the seizure of the block. 